Jack Russell Terrier Leads Truck Driver To Abandoned Bunny

Heroes come in different shapes and different sizes, but they all go the extra mile to help others in need. That's the story from Jacksonville, Florida, where news of an extraordinary roadside rescue has surfaced.

Long-haul truck driver Dan O'Grady was passing through the city when he spotted a dog on the shoulder of the freeway. Struck by the sight of the skinny stray, he exited at the next off-ramp and looped back.

Upon his arrival, O'Grady tried coaxing the yapping pup, a Jack Russell terrier, into the cab of his rig. When that failed, he inched forward on foot, but the canine retreated again and again to a shaded area near the breakdown lane.

And what an unexpected sight it was: Curled beneath a bush was an underfed domestic rabbit!

Naming the two animals Highway and Interstate, O'Grady returned with the unlikely besties to his vehicle, where they were treated to a well-deserved lunch (sandwich meat for the terrier and salad for the bunny).

O'Grady's next stop was a shelter just over the Georgia border. They took in Highway — who has since been adopted, YAY! — but were unable to care for the lagomorph (bunny).

Because the Akron, Ohio native had seen rabbits previously at his local humane society, he reached out to officials with the Summit Country branch in Twinsburg, who quickly agreed to accept the four-legged refugee.

After a quick pit stop to buy bedding for a makeshift crate, O'Grady motored north with his new companion. When the pair arrived in the Buckeye State, a checkup revealed that the bunny weighed only 3 pounds, which is considered "bony and malnourished for an adult rabbit."

Interstate's condition has since improved — he now tips the scales at a more robust five pounds — as has his living situation. Earlier this month, it was announced that he too had been re-homed with new forever humans!

While some commenters on social media have speculated that Highway and Interstate were bonded buds (and lamented their separation), the circumstances of their cruel abandonment will likely never be known.

And though Interstate now lives with a new family, it seems his fate shall forever be intertwined with the two heroes in his rescue: The little Jack Russell terrier that refused to leave his side and the big-hearted truck driver that went out of his way to help.